What is a
witch?
According to the Free Dictionary the noun witch refers to:
1. A person, especially a woman, claiming
or popularly believed to possess magical powers
and practice sorcery.
2. A believer
or follower of Wicca; a Wiccan.
3. a. Offensive An old woman considered
to be ugly or frightening.
b. A woman considered to be spiteful or overbearing.
c. Informal A woman or girl considered
to be charming or fascinating.
4. One particularly skilled or competent at one's craft:
"A witch of a writer, [she] is capable of developing an intensity that verges on ferocity" (Peter S. Prescott).
All of the above can apply to those women who were accused of
beings witches during the 17th’ century’s Salem Witch Trials in New
England. It also applies to the men who suffered at the hands of those
determined to rid their communities of these evil people.
Overall, the trials which resulted in the murder of 20 people
and the death of many more in captivity began after two girls with
inexplicable, incurable fits started blaming others as being witches responsible
for their condition.
Once accused, the people suspected of being witched were given
little, if any respect. After failing witch tests they were either hung to show
humiliation or crushed with stones. They were also buried in shallow unmarked
graves like those found in the Burying Point Cemetery in Salem in the Essex
County of Massachusetts.
Some of the victims of these religiously-induced Salem witch
trials included:
Bridget Bishop - An outspoken woman known for running a guest
house and for being vocal about her family affairs. She was accused of being a
witch because she didn't uphold the religious ways required of her.
George Burroughs - He was the only puritan minister who was
executed in the trials. He'd served the ministry in Salem and had gotten
involved in the social conflict which could explain why he was targeted.
Martha and Giles Corey - The couple was accused of committing
witchcraft. The wife, though a staunch Christian, had been suspected and
associated with witchcraft because she'd condemned the killings of the people.
She was accused before her husband and after conviction, was hanged. Her
husband, Giles, was accused because of association with his wife. He denied the
charges and the court pressed him. The pressing was to lay stones on him until
he pleaded guilty to the charge. After three days of pressing without a plea,
Giles Corey died.
Sarah Good - Convicted of witchcraft, she was sentenced to
hand and the actual location of her body is unknown. This is because accused
witches were not accorded a church burial and their bodies were sometimes thrown
in a ditch with nobody to claim them.
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